NONSTEROIDAL ECDYSTEROID AGONISTS - TOOLS FOR THE STUDY OF HORMONAL ACTION

The first non-steroidal ecdysteroid agonists are dibenzoyl hydrazines and are typified by the compounds designated RH-5849 and RH-5992. The discovery that these compounds mimic 20E in a variety of insect orders , and especially the Lepidoptera, generated great interest from the re search and agricultural communities. Such compounds provide important new research tools for physiological, biochemical, and molecular studi es. In addition, the potential for application to agricultural pests l ooks very promising, especially for RH-5992 (tebufenozide). This revie w evaluates the evidence on the specificity of the ecdysteroid-like ac tions of these materials and considers their application for research and pest management. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.